Merry-go-round



1,476,180 G. M. REAGEN I magm-ao-nouun Filed Aug 26 1922 s Sheets-Sheet z .93 32. 33 35' 36. 3/ 35 qty .2.

. Reag h Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

U [T E T f TENT FFI'C E; V

' enonen M. REAGEN, or ALTON, ILLInoIsAssIenon or ONE-HALF T0 JEROME I.

- WQHL, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

V MEBBY-GO-ROUND.

Substitute for application Serial No. 363,369, filed March 5, 1920. This application filed August 26, 1922."

I 7 Serial No. 584,573.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. 'REAGEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alton, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements 7 in Merry Go Rounds, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a relatively simple and efiicient construction of merry-go-round constituting an improvement particularly as to the mounting of the cars over the construction shown in my former Patent No. 1,192,226 granted July 25, 1916, to the end that greater safety and more comfort may be secured to the occupants of the cars without in any way detracting from the pleasurable movement thereof as set forth in my former patent above noted, and

- to these ends the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it being understood that changes in form and proportions may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the principles involved.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a side view of the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through a car of the tilting or plunging type as indicated by the line 3 3 of Figure .1.

Figure 1 is a sectionalview taken longitudinally through a car of the rocking type as indicated by the line 414 of Figure '1.

Figures 5 and 6 are detail sectional views at right angles to each other of one of the bearing boxes for the spindles which serve as mountings for the cars 7 I Figure 7 is a detail horizontal section of the same on the plane indicated by the line 7-7 of Figure 5. 1

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view of the upper portion of the mast orv standard and its related parts. 7

Figure 9 is a similar view of the lower portion of the mast to show the means by which motion is communicated to the cars.

Rising from a suitable base 10, Figure 1, which may consist of intersecting timbers as shown in the drawing is a mast 11 which may consist of a hollow metallic tube or the equivalent thereof. A sleeve 12 snugly surrounds the mast or standard, Figure 9, at an intermediate point and is connected with the base by upwardly convergent braces 13 and also by guy rods or wires 14 provided at suitable points with turn buckles 15 or suitable equivalent means for applying the necessary tension to insure the rigid support radial beams 19 which the occupants of the cars approach and leave the same. These flights of steps are spaced apart at intervals suflicient to accommodate the interposed cars 18 and may be used respectively as means of mounting and leaving the machine so as to expedite 7 loading and unloading thereof. Access to the cars is afforded by means of door openings 23 fitted with doors 24:, Figure 4. Between the fiights of steps, ofwhich the lower ends are held out of contact with the ground or other supporting surface and are provided with upright rods 25, connected to the outer ends of the said arms 20, are arranged fenders 26 beneath the plane of the platform and designed to prevent access to the space beneath the rotary frame to avoid accidents which may occur in that connection The said fenders 26, Figure 2, extend between the inner ends of flights of steps 21.

Also rising from the plane of the platforms 22 and arranged at the inner edge thereof is a, hand rail or guard 27. The outerends of the radial arms 20 formingthe rotary frame work are braced and prevented from sagging by means of guy cables or wires or rods 28 extending through a rotary cap mounted upon a bearing cap 30 fitted upon the upper end of the standard extending axially through said rotary cap 29 and secured at its lower end to the fixed cap 30 is a stem 31,

Figures 1 and 8, supporting a figure 32, such as an eagle as illustrated, having movable wings 33 hinged as at 34 to the body of the figure and having connected therewith operating rods 35 provided at their lower ends with rollers 36 for traversing a cam surface 37 carried by the rotary cap 29 so that as the car supporting frame. of the apparatus rotates, the cam surface 37 serves to actuate the rods and thus move the wings of the object in simulation of flying.

Also supported by the standard above the plane oft-he radial beams 19, and adapted to be used as a vaudeville platform, is a stage 38 which thus serves to conceal the operating mechanism by which motion is communicated to the frame and to the cars as hereinafter described. 4

Supported by the standard beneath the plane of the radial arms 20 is acircular rack or gear 40, Figure 9, with whichis engaged a driving pinion ll actuated by a motor 42 mounted upon a frame 42* fixed on the braces 13 and supported in any convenient manner with relation thereto, as a means of connnunicating rotary motion to the rotary frame at the desired speed and Without involving the expenditure of any considerable amount of power and hence economically in the matter of energy.

Secured to the standard, as for exaniple above the plane of the said rack of gear is a gear 43 with which mesh pinions 44 on the inner ends of shafts 4-5 and l6 extending radially of the rotary frame work and provided at their outer ends with cranks 4:7 and 48 connected'with said cars 17 and 18 for communicating respectively rocking and tiltin or lun 'in movement thereto. The U 2: Z:

rocking cars 17 of which any desired num ber within the capacity of the structure may be employed are each provided with end or terminal trunnions 49, Figure 1-, mounted in bearings 50 on the rotary frame work while the tilting or plunging cars 18, of which the preferred number maybe employed (it being desirable in some instances to alternate the said tilting or plunging cars with the rock- "ing cars) are mounted upon transverse spindles 51, Figure 1, formed as extensions of radial bars or rods 52 supported by the rotary frame work. I

Secured to the tilting or plunging car 18 for the reception of the spindle 51 are journal boxes 53 which correspond substantially in construction with the bearing boxes 50 which are employed for the terminal spindles of the rocking car 17, each of said journal boxes 53, Figure 5, consisting ofa base 54 carrying a block 55 preferably formed integrally therewith and a cap 56 fitted over the block and having side wings 57 and 58 which lie in contact with the opposite side surfaces of the block. lhe cap and block are provided with registering grooves 59 and 60 which combine to form the bearing for the spindle, and on the inner surface? of the wing or side wall 57 of the cap is provided an inwardly extending rib 61 for engaging a, groove 62 in the corresponding side surface of the block, while the inner surface of the other wing or side wall 58 of the cap is provided with a groove 62 registering with a groove 63 in the adjacent '62 being in the opposite. direction from that of the key or pin 64 so that when the cap has been placed imposition upon the'block, the spindle first having been mounted in the bearing groove of the latter, and the looking key or pin inserted, the journal box is permanently closed upon the spindle against accidental release of the latter, without the use of bolts or analogous fastening means. Also provided upon the base plate 54 of the journal box are the flanges 65 spaced from the side surfaces of the block 55 to form parallel seats 66' for the reception of the inner edges of the side walls-or wings of the cap to prevent spreading of'the latter and hence the accidental or premature disengage' ment of the cap from the block.

Also as a means of preventing excessive rocking or tilting movement of the cars the flexible restraining or limiting means 67 and 68 are provided between the rotary frame work and said cars near the forward ends of the latter. serve to prevent the capsizing of the cars should there be any breakage or accident to the means by which rocking or tilting motion is communicated thereto, and such restrain ing means used in connection with the mounting means as herein described serves to insure the safety of the occupants of the car under'any of the conditions which can reasonably be expected to occur even under unusual conditions of use ofthe apparatus. It will be noted that the entire apparatus is of knock-down construction, including the detachability of the boats or cars, to the end that the device may readily be packedfor transportation or shipment, and nov special or difficult adjustment of the parts is necessary in setting up the apparatus for further use.

-Having described my invention, what I claim and desire is:

A merry-go-round comprising av base, a mast or standard rising from the base, a sleeve surrounding the mast or standard at an intermediate'point in the height thereof, braces extending from the base to the sleeve, a rotary frame having a hub mounted upon said sleeve and provided with radial arms, spaced flights of steps carried by said arms, movable cars supported in the intervals between the flights of steps, a. continuous annular platform supported by and connecting the radial arms near their outer ends and accessible by means of said flights of steps, a frame fixed on the said braces and disposed below the radial arms, a gear connected to the underside of the radial arms, means sup ported by said fixed frame to transmit These restraining means will to secure by Letters-Patent,

rotary motion to said gear, driving connections arranged above the radial arms to transmit motion to the cars, said connections extending under said continuous annular platform, a stage fixed to the mast or standard and arranged Within the continuous annular platform and above said driving connections, a guard connected to and rising from the inner edge of the continuous 10 annular platform, pendent fenders carried by the rotary frame and extending between the inner portions of the flights of steps, and means interposed between the outer portion of the rotary frame and the upper portion of the mast or standard to suspend sai mast or standard. p

In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature.

GEORGE M. REAGEN.

d 16 outer portion of the rotary frame from the v 

